Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Karla
(Halle Berry) is a stressed-out single-mom waitressing in a diner
when she'd rather be spending more quality time with her young son,
Frankie (Sage Correa). In fact, today, he's patiently waiting right
there in the restaurant for her overtime shift to end.

After
she finally gets off, the two drive to an amusement park for what
promises to be a fun-filled afternoon. Trouble is, she's in the midst
of bitter custody battle over Frankie with her vindictive ex-husband
(Jason George). That explains why she wanders a few feet away for a
little privacy when she gets a call from her divorce attorney.

Unfortunately,
it's enough of a distraction to afford a lurking kidnapper (Chris
McGinn) an opportunity to pounce. Next thing you know, Margo's
dragging the kid to a waiting getaway car with her husband Terry (Lew
Temple) at the wheel.

Karla
frantically rushes into the parking lot where she drops her cell
phone before spotting a suspicious Mustang GT with tinted windows and
no license plates peel rubber. At that point, her maternal instincts
kick in, and she decides to pursue the perps despite the fact that
she's driving a relatively-sluggish, Chrysler Town & Country.

What
ensues is an extended chase scene that lasts the rests of the movie.
So unfolds Kidnap, a low-budget variation of Baby Driver directed by
Luis Prieto (Pusher). Although the plot arrives riddled with comical
holes big enough for Karla to drive her minivan through, the picture
nevertheless proves pretty compelling thanks to a combination of
heart-pounding action and the protagonists convincing embodiment of
pure desperation.

It's
Halle vs. hillbillies in a high-octane showdown where there's never a
doubt about whether "Mommy Driver" will prevail.

Subscribe via email

Subscribe via RSS

The Sly Fox Film Reviews

KamWilliams.com

The Sly Fox Film Reviews publishes the content of film critic Kam Williams. Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008, Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, he has an MA in English from Brown, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.